Automatic electric lighting system.



C. J. GARDEEN.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC LIGHTING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.5,1907.

901 ,336, Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

WITNESSES." IJVVEJVTOB. 9. My 121/515 nz ranwzn 616.40%; dmfiwm UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE CARL J. GARDEEN, OF COLUMBUS TOWNSHIP, ANOKA COUNTY, MINNESOTA.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC LIGHTING SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

Application filed'December 5, 1907. Serial No. 405,213.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL J. GARDEEN, a

citizen of the United States, residing in Columbus township, in 'the' county of Anoka and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Automatic Electrical Lighting System, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electrical lighting out the engine will stop and by lighting any.

' of the lamps again the engine will start automatically.

In the accompanying drawing the. engine and dynamo appears in side elevation, while all the rest of the plant may be considered as either a plan view or elevation.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, 1 designates a storage battery adapted to be charged with electricity from a-dynamo 2, when the latter is operated by a gasolene engine or other explosive engine 3. On said engine 4 designates the igniter,

which is operated by a rod 5 and other parts of the engine in any suitable manner and receives current from a battery 6, which is inserted in the circuit formed by said igniter and the wires 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and a circuit closer composed of the contact posts 15 fixed in a board 20, and a conducting bar 16 fixed by an insulator 17 on the bar 18 of a solenoid 19, which is also mounted on the board 20. 011 said rod 18 is further secured by an insulator 21 a conducting bar 22, which when brought in contact with the posts 23 forms a circuit closer for the wires 24, 25.

26 is a spring encircling the rod 18 and by pressing between a bracket 27 in which the rod is guided and a collar 28 fixed near the top of the rod, holds the bar normally in a raised position but yields for the action of the solenoid when the circuits are to be closed.

29 represents incandescent lamps or other electric lamps inserted in the circuit and receiving current either from the dynamo or from the storage battery 1.

30 is a relay of well known construction,{

by which the current over wires 31, 31 energizes the electro-magnet 32 and by the action of the latter causes the armature 33 to swing on its pivot 34 and close the circuit over the wires 35, 36; of which the former connects with the battery 1 and the latter with the electro-magnet of the solenoid 19. Said magnet is also connected to a branch 37 of the battery wire 38, of which 24 is another branch. 3

The wire 25 extends to post 39, where it communicates by a wire 40 with the dynamo and by a wire 41 with an electro-magnet 42 of a solenoid 42, 43, to whose rod 44 is fixed a piston 45v of a dash-pot 46, which retards the upward motion of the rod when the magnet pulls on it.

On said rod is fixed a conducting bar 47, which together with the resistance coils 48, the blocks 49 secured to the loops of the coils, and the bar 47, constitutes a rheostat operated by said solenoid and.

making up what is perhaps known as an automatic motor starter. This device serves to establish a current of gradually increasing force over the wires 25, 41 41 41 and 41, so that in starting the engine by the dynamo used as a motor, the latter will not be injured by applying suddenly to the armature the full force of the storage battery.

Wire 53 and the branch 50 of the wire 51 are connected with the field of the dynamo, and the wire 41 and the wire 52 are connected with the brushes 54 of the commutator of the armature.

With the understanding that the dynamo, being of the type known as shunt-wound a current reverse to that produced by the dynamo will convert the dynamo into a motor rotating the armature in the same direction as when the machine was used as a dynamo, the following will explain the operation of the plant.

The storage battery 1 is charged by electricity from any suitable source, say by the engine 1, and dynamo 2, which over wires 52, 51, 55 supply the battery 1, and at the same time may supply wires 56, 31 with current for the lamps 29, wires 55 and 56 being united at 57.

The battery 1 being once charged and the I 30, whereby a stronger current is permitted to pass over wires 85, 36 to the solenoid 19; which at once closes the switch 16 of the igniting'battery and also closes the switch 22 by which a strong current is passed from wires 38, 24.- and along wires 25, 40, 53 to the field, from which it returns over the wires 50, 51 and 55 to the battery. And a current gradually increased by the motor starter during its first moments of action is sent over the wire 4:1, maget 42, wire an, the coils 4L8 and intermediate bar 47 of the rheostat, and thence along wires 41-1 and 41 to one of the brushes 54; of the armature, and returns from the other brush over wires 52, 51, 55 to the battery. The armature now turns as a motor driven by the storage battery l, and starts the engine. After the engine is fully started and is electricity-producing power becomes greater than that of the battery, the motor becomes thereby a dynamo, and the direction just described of the current to and from the armature is reversed so that the dynamo instead of receiving current from the battery delivers and stores up electricity in the battery to the extent of the capacity of the engine. If all the lamps 29 are switched oil there is no need of having the engine running and it stops automatically, because when the last lamp is put out there is no current on wire 31, the armature 33 of the relay drops down 011 the peg (30 and thereby breaks the circuit to the solenoid 1'9, and at once the spring 26 opens the switch 16 and thereby renders the igniter inactive. And switch 22 opens and cuts otf current over the magnet 4L2 so that the con ducting bar a7 may be drawn downward by the dash-pot and be ready for starting the engine any time that a lamp is turned onagain. The opening of switch 22 thus breaks the circuit between the battery and the dynamo over both wires 24L, 25, 41, 11, i8, 47, 4:1, 41 and over wires 2st, 25, @LO, 53; and the wire 51 with its arms 50 and 52, is rendered idle for want of current over the wires just above described.

From the above description it will be seen that my invention enables any house, church or other building to have its own electric li 'ht produced from gas, gasolene, or the li re, whereby an explosive engine may be run, and that the engine may be located at such a distance from the building lighted that there can be no objection to noise or danger of using such engines for said purpose. .The arrangement also saves the cost of keeping an engineer or other person for starting, stopping and attending to the en; gine; and still the engine cannot run idle when no light is needed; any one can turn on the light, and the lightis produced automatically as long as he wants it, and when he turns it off the production of ligl1t-:t'orce ceases automatically.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In an electrical lighting plant or system, the combination of an explosive engine having an igniter, an electric battery arranged to produce sparks in the igniter, means operated by the engine for regulating the operation of the igniter, a switch inserted in the circuitconnecting the battery with the igniter, a dynamo operated by the engine and being convertible into an electric motor by reversing the current over its armature, a storage battery wired to the field and to the armature of the dynamo, a switch inserted in the circuit between the battery and the dynamo, an electromagnetic device operating said switch and also the switch of the circuit to the igniter, a circuit from the battery to the electromagnetic device, a relay inserted in the latter circuit, a lighting circuit connected with the battery and operating the relay, electric lamps inserted in said lighting circuit and adapted to close the same when lighted and break it when put out, and means for opening the switches when the relay breaks the circuit that energizes the electromagnetic device.

2. In an electrical lighting plant or sy.+ tem, the combination of an explosive engine having an igniter, an electric battery arranged to produce sparks in the igniter, means operated by the engine for regulating the operation of the igniter, a switch inserted in the circuit connecting the battery with the igniter, a dynamo operated by the engine and being convertible into an electric motor by reversing the current over its armature, a storage battery wired to the field and to the armature of the dynamo, a switch inserted in the circuit between the battery and the dynamo, an electromagnetic device operating said switch and also the switch of the circuit to the igniter, a circuit from the battery to the electromagnetic device, a relay inserted in the latter circuit, a liglit'ntgcircuit connected with the battery and oper ating the relay, electric lamps inserted in said lighting circuit and adapted to close the same when lighted and break it when put out, and means for opening the switches when the relay breaks the circuit that energizes the electromagnetic device; a rheostat insorted in the branch of the circuit that carries electricity from the battery to the armature, a solenoid having its magnet operated by said branch and. operating the rheostat, and means for retarding the action of the solenoid on the rheostat, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I atiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CARL J. GARDEEN. itnesses:

A. M. GARLSEN, D. E. CARLSEN. 

